Vikes off to impressive start in girls basketball

By Mike Barnhart, for Silicon Valley Community Newspapers

Posted:
01/10/2013 08:02:13 PM PST

Updated:
01/10/2013 08:02:13 PM PST

With 10 girls back from a team that won 19 games and reached the Central Coast Section Division II basketball semifinals last winter, Lynbrook's 10-2 start this season was impressive, but not surprising.

The Vikings saved the surprise for their Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division opener on Jan. 4. Led by strong team defense and senior Jackie Hudepohl's 17 points, they stunned previously undefeated Wilcox 44-36.

The visiting Chargers entered the game with a 13-0 record, including championships at three pre-season tournaments and a 53-23 blowout victory against a good Saratoga squad two nights before.

Wilcox won the first quarter, jumping ahead of Lynbrook 13-9, but the Vikings rallied for a 14-8 advantage in the second period to gain a 23-21 halftime lead.

Lynbrook continued to hold down the potent Chargers in the second half, outscoring them 9-8 in the third quarter and 12-7 in the fourth. Wilcox's 36 points was a season low.

The 5-foot-11 Hudepohl joined 6-foot junior center Sara Dyslin and 5-foot-8 junior forward Paige Song in trying to limit the inside power game of 6-foot-2 Wilcox center Joeseta Fatuesi, while senior point guard Emily Fong and junior guard Annie Cheng battled the Chargers' potent perimeter players.

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Fatuesi did score 16 and junior Caitlin Brown tossed in 11, including a pair of three-pointers, but Lynbrook limited the rest of the Chargers to just nine. Meanwhile, Dyslin scored eight, Fong and Cheng had six apiece, Song added four and sophomore guard Dolly Yuan had three for the Vikings.

Lynbrook started the season by winning eight games in a row, three each while taking titles at the Sandi Stober Classic and the Paris Twins Classic in Piedmont and victories over strong non-league opponents Santa Teresa and Presentation. The streak ended with consecutive losses to Branham and Skyline of Sammamish, Wash., but the Vikings responded by winning their last two games at the Coaches vs. Cancer tourney at Eastside Prep.

Meanwhile, in the El Camino Division, Homestead won its first league game of the season, 56-27 over visiting Cupertino.

Senior Becky Chiu's 12 points and junior Zoe Tentoglou's nine paced the Mustangs, who built a 38-16 lead in the first half. Senior Megan Morita tallied seven, while senior Nikki Shahriyari, junior Alison Takahashi and freshman Nicolette Conklin added six each. Shahriyari helped Homestead control the backboards with 12 rebounds.

Junior Jeri Perkins scored eight points to lead Cupertino. Junior Kohsheen Sharma and sophomore Olivia Wissig each had six for the Pioneers (0-2, 2-12).

Homestead (1-0, 4-9) dropped a tight non-league game the next night, 32-31 to Elk Grove at Foothill College. Chiu and Takahashi scored nine each in that one.

Cupertino picked up its first two wins of the season during its Cupertino Classic tournament Dec. 27-29. The Pioneers defeated San Lorenzo Valley 64-18 and Sobrato 38-30, before losing the championship game to Woodside 49-24.

Wissig (17) and Perkins (13) were the top scorers in the big win over SLV. Freshman Kristen Nagamatsu and junior Colleen Chan supported with eight apiece. Sharma and freshman Celina Arranaga led the way against Sobrato with 11 each.

Homestead also won two of three games at the Cupertino Classic, including a 55-27 decision over Sobrato in the fifth-place game.

After a Jan. 9 game at Fremont, Homestead will return home Jan. 11, 6:15 p.m., to meet Monta Vista (0-1, 4-6). The Matadors started league play with a 52-48 loss to visiting Los Altos on Jan. 2.

Fremont (0-2, 6-8) will play at Cupertino on Jan. 11, 6:15 p.m. After going 6-6 in non-league play, the Firebirds started El Camino play with defeats to Mountain View 56-31 and Santa Clara 56-28. Junior Alma Sivic paced the Firebirds with 13 points in each game.